


The Bodyguard

by BirdOfHermes



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Popstar, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Belligerent Sexual Tension, Bisexual Brunnhilde | Valkyrie (Marvel), Bodyguard, Bodyguard Romance, Bruce Is a Good Bro, Canon Divergence - Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Dancing, Dirty Talk, Dom Thor (Marvel), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Light Angst, Nightmares, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Rock Stars, Rock and Roll, Rough Fingering, Rough Sex, Size Difference, Slow Dancing, Sparring, Stalking, Thor (Marvel) is Not Stupid, Wall Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-04-12 11:08:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19130797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BirdOfHermes/pseuds/BirdOfHermes
Summary: Brunhilde, known to the world as the rockstar Valkyrie, is sent a death threat that she finally can't ignore--one that claims she'll be murdered in a week. Her producer decides to hire a bodyguard specialist to protect her, so Brunhilde has to put up with the likes of Thor Odinson: a former Secret Service bodyguard who won't let her out of his sight. She doesn't know what's worse: the threat of her stalker or the fact that she's slowly starting to fall for her annoyingly earnest new bodyguard.Loosely based on the 1992 movie The Bodyguard, emphasis on loose. Thorkyrie/Valor Ragnarok AU.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all.
> 
> I am too goddamn excited for Men in Black: International, and for Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth being fucking cute as shit between Thor: Ragnarok and MIBI.
> 
> However, this fic sprang into my head based on a rumor in an article stating that Tessa and Hems are interested in remaking The Bodyguard. Personally, I think the movie is a neat idea that was executed BADLY. Oh my God, the acting is horrific and I've always hated Kevin Costner, but my point is that I think Tessa and Hems would ROCK a remake of that movie, so here's my take on that rumor. This won't follow the movie exactly, much like my Loki/Reader AU of The Proposal. Rather, it'll borrow some elements from it and the rest are just my own ideas mixed in. I truly hope I can entertain this way too small Thorkyrie fandom. Love you all bunches, and I can't wait for MIBI to drop.
> 
> Note: yes, I just chose the spelling of her name with one N. Sue me.

_You say you trust me_

_But just me_

_Put your faith in me_

_Then wait patiently_

_Keep on telling me lies_

_I’ll believe you, believe you_

_Keep on telling me lies like I need you, I need you_

_You say it’s hard now, but good things come from this_

_So I’ll keep on living on your promises_

_It’s gotta get bad before it gets good…_

_-“Bad Before Good” by Day One_

**Before this week is over, you’ll be dead.**

“You can’t be serious,” Brunhilde said, dropping the scrap of paper with its eerie, almost alien handwriting inside an evidence bag to the top of her coffee table.

“I am serious,” her producer, Veronica, told her. “Dead serious, if you’ll excuse the pun.”

She aimed a vicious glare at her. “I’m an international musical artist. All of them get threats.”

“Yes, they do,” she agreed. “But this is different. This is the same person who has been threatening you for six months, and it wasn’t just delivered to one of your safe addresses for fan-mail. Brun, this was stuck to your front door with a knife. They somehow got past security without tripping any alarms. That means the stalking has escalated, and we can’t just brush it off.”

“Then what the hell are my security guards even for? Why do I need some kind…” she struggled to remember the word in her anger. “I don’t know, specialist for just some run-of-the-mill nutcase?”

Veronica crossed her arms and didn’t flinch under her client’s furious gaze. “Because this might be the same creep who stabbed Honey three weeks ago.”

That stopped Brunhilde from pacing. She eyed her producer carefully. “You’re serious? You think it’s the same bastard that crippled Honey?”

“The cops said there’s a chance it’s a copycat, but the handwriting and the M.O. match. He picks dark-haired famous women, especially those with feminist personas, stalks them, and then he attacks.”

The tall blonde stepped forward and straightened her cuffs slightly. “And for the record, this is non-negotiable. The specialist arrives in an hour. Make yourself presentable. He’s going to be with us for at least a week, maybe longer if this wacko doesn’t let up.”

“I can take care of myself, Ronnie,” Brunhilde snarled. “I don’t take muay thai just to have something interesting to talk about during interviews. If this moron thinks he can scare me, he’s in for a fucking surprise, and I don’t need some overpaid clown following me around under the pretense that he is going to protect me.”

Veronica gave her a thin smile. “It clearly states in your contract that under circumstances where my client may be in danger, I may hire extra help. Whether you like it or not, you’re getting a bodyguard.”

She pointed to the bedroom. “Now go get dressed already.”

Brunhilde’s jaw almost split from how hard she was clenching it because she knew Veronica was right. She had signed a contract and it was iron clad. No wiggle room. Grumbling curses, she spun on her heel and marched upstairs into the master bedroom, the door slamming loud as a gunshot in her wake.

Determined to be defiant, Brunhilde ran the hottest bath possible, threw some bath salts in it, opened a casket of whiskey, and threw herself into it. She lay there wreathed in the scent of lavender and honey, hoping she could steam the anger out of herself.

“A specialist,” she mumbled sullenly into her Steuben. “As if the five-man posse that follows me around every single day even isn’t enough.”

Sometime later while she was putting on her robe, she heard a knock at the door. Glaring, she threw her soap at it, and it hit with a loud ‘thunk’ and broke in half. “Piss off.”

She heard a rumbling chuckle, and then her head security guard Skurge stuck his bald, tattooed head inside the bathroom. “Permission to enter the shooting gallery?”

Brunhilde couldn’t resist a grin. “Enter at your own risk.”

He smiled and pushed the door the rest of the way open, and she lobbed her toothpaste at him. He ducked, chuckling. He scooped it up and handed it to her. “They just pulled into the driveway, your majesty. Figured I’d warn you.”

Brunhilde rolled her eyes. “Oh, joy. Ronnie is so overprotective. I can’t believe she doesn’t trust you and the guys.”

“As I understand it, it’s not about trust. It’s about—” He lifted both hands to make quotation marks. “— _experience._ I’ve only been at this gig a couple years and she wants one of those expensive, dyed-in-the-wool types. Top of the line. Best money can buy.”

Brunhilde lifted an eyebrow. “What? Spared no expense, like that Hammond guy from Jurassic Park.”

“Apparently,” he admitted, scratching his beard as he watched her brush her teeth. “They tell me he’s ex-Secret Service.”

Brunhilde choked, her foamy lips agape. “He’s _what?”_

Skurge shrugged. “S’what I hear, anyway. You can ask ‘im yourself, I s’pose.”

“Christ, how much must we be paying this clown to babysit me if he used to work for the President?”

“None of my business, I tell you that much. Now, if you don’t mind, let’s get this shit over with. Maybe you can scare ‘im off and we all get back to our non-normal lives.”

“I’ll try my best.” She gave him a quick fist-bump and he left. She took her sweet time washing her face with an expensive scrub and plucking her eyebrows to her heart’s content. Then she went to the closet and found the most hostile black t-shirt she could along with her shredded skinny jeans under combat boots. She threw on some silver jewelry and threw her hair up in a punky little Mohawk for good measure.

“You don’t need him,” she told herself in the mirror as she capped her eye-liner. “So get rid of him.”

Brunhilde admired her reflection, sure that it was as off-putting as possible for a lovely woman her size, and stomped down the stairs towards the den. Her brown eyes quickly scanned the small gathering, which included Veronica, Skurge, her other four security team members, and one of the maids, all grouped around the so-called bodyguard specialist.

And when she saw him, she missed the very last step on the stairs.

He was absolutely gorgeous.

Topping off at about 6’5’’, the bodyguard specialist had honey-blond hair cut in a simple taper and a matching beard, neatly trimmed but thick. He wore the standard black suit and tie that most bodyguards did—she’d learned it wasn’t just for intimidation, but also to be easily recognized in a large crowd—and his shoulders stood out as broad and powerful. His dress shirt rippled over his chest muscles. Her gaze traced the perfect straightness of his hips to his long legs and big feet. The final insult were his eyes—big, blue, friendly eyes the color of a summer sky.

Everyone glanced over as she stumbled and her boots clomped loudly and clumsily against the polished marble floors. Brunhilde refused to blush. Instead, she tossed her hair and stalked over to the small throng, her expression cold and remote despite the previous awkward moment.

“This is it?” she snorted at Veronica. “What? Did you order him from the Playgirl catalogue?”

The other bodyguards’ shoulder shook with silent laughter. Even Skurge couldn’t resist a smirk. She kept her eyes on the stranger, whose polite smile didn’t flicker at the comment.

“Brun,” Veronica said in warning. “First impressions are everything.”

She lifted her chin defiantly, ignoring the comment. “What’s your name, pretty boy?”

He smiled and offered his hand, “Thor Odinson.”

She snorted again and didn’t bother accepting his hand. “Of course you are. Your mother must have had a premonition you’d turn out looking like a Norse god from some desperate Renaissance painter’s wet dream.”

“Brun!” Veronica snapped.

“Get a grip, Ronnie,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “If he can’t take sass, he doesn’t belong here to begin with.”

Brunhilde narrowed her eyes at him. “You will address me by my stage name, Valkyrie, at all times. You will not touch me unless I grant you my express permission. You will not enter a room that I occupy without my permission. You will not speak to me about anything unless it has to do with my immediate safety, and the second we find this obsequious little creep who sent the death threat, you and your handsome ass are back out on the street. Do I make myself clear, Thor, son of Odin?”

She watched and waited for his reaction. No anger. No frustration. He withdrew his hand and clasped his wrist, nodding deeply, almost as if bowing to her, his beautiful smile still unaffected. “As you wish, my lady.”

Brunhilde’s jaw worked yet again. She had really wanted him to take offense. It would show Veronica he couldn’t handle her. After all, Skurg was her fourth head of security. She was excellent at grinding on someone’s nerves until they lost their temper and quit. Thor Odinson may have been more than he seemed, or he just had a perfect poker face.

Hell, his face was just perfect in general.

 _Fine,_ she resolved. _I’ll just have to try a bit harder._

“Now that we’ve all met,” Veronica said, a little flushed from how annoyed she was. “ _Valkyrie_ here has a concert tonight at six o’clock. I will debrief you on everything you need to know about the venue, and then you can coordinate with Skurge and the others.”

He gave her a curt nod. “Yes ma’am.”

“We have the guest bedroom prepared for you upstairs. The maid will show you to your room to get settled for the week, and then you can pack what you need for the flight. Everything you need to know about the estate is in your debrief packet, but if you have questions, Bruce, the master of the house, will answer them after we return tonight.”

“Thank you,” Thor said as he picked up his large, heavy suitcase. He gestured politely for the maid to go first, and the girl flushed a bit before leading him away. Brunhilde crossed her arms as she watched him go…and guiltily couldn’t resist a quick glance downward as he strode away on those long legs.

“Nice ass for a bodyguard specialist,” she said mildly, knowing it would annoy her producer even further.

Veronica massaged the bridge of her nose. “The band just texted me that they’re in the studio, so go practice before I body-slam you.”

Brunhilde winked and gave her backside a playful smack. “Tease.”

“God, I hate you sometimes.”

* * *

Brunhilde had gotten used to most of the procedures for when she was about to do a live concert, and therefore found herself irritated with some of the changes that Thor implemented. Takeoff took twice as long as usual, as Thor inspected the private jet from top to bottom with her security team to deem it safe, which she found quite unnecessary. He swept for bombs on her limo to and from everywhere between her mansion and the airport, and the venue itself. He’d hired a team with metal detectors to sweep the concert attendees for weapons upon entry. They still began the concert on time, but by then, she’d already had enough of Mr. Odinson’s antics and started concocting ways to get rid of him.

Despite it, the concert went smoothly. It was why she did what she did. Nothing else mattered when those stage lights popped on and she could feel the electricity of the music flowing through her veins. She fed on the energy of the crowd, of the cacophonous sound of her band, of knowing that she could do something she loved and do it well. She took pride in every performance, and not even an annoying new bodyguard could take that away from her.

The show wrapped and Brunhilde headed backstage, elated with how it had gone, but eager to get the pound of makeup off her face and wiggle herself out of the leather pants and corset she’d been confined to that were kind of standard for any rock musician. First, though, she had to shake hands and kiss babies, as she called it, meeting the VIP fans who had paid quite a sum to meet her. This part, too, she didn’t mind. She appreciated them for wanting to go the extra mile to meet her and for appreciating her music.

“Who can I make this out to?” she asked the tall, thin VIP fan, sharpie poised to sign the poster he held.

“Marshall,” he said.

“Thanks for coming to the show, Marshall,” she grinned, signing away. “Want a selfie?”

“Oh, gosh, yes, please!” She chuckled as he leaned down next to her and snapped the photo. He thanked her profusely before she moved on to the next VIP fan. He was quite a bit larger, stockier, and older than Marshall had been, and he didn’t have a poster for her to sign.

“Thanks for coming to the show,” she told him. “Want a selfie?”

The large man smiled. “I’d love one.”

Behind her, Thor stepped a bit closer. “Miss Valkyrie—”

“In a minute, lackey,” she snapped without looking at him.

The man leaned down and held out the phone. They posed. And just before he snapped the photo, he turned his head and kissed Brunhilde.

“What the hell?!” she snarled, shoving him roughly.

Thor grabbed the guy’s arm and hauled him away from her. “Sir, that kind of conduct is not allowed. I’m escorting you off the premises.”

“Hey, I paid good money to get back here,” the man spat, twisting away. “If I want to kiss the little bitch—”

“ _Bitch?”_ Brunhilde snarled. She lunged for him, but Skurge got there first and caught her before she could reach.

And it turned out she didn’t need to.

The man threw a sloppy punch at Thor’s head. Thor smoothly dodged it, grabbed his wrist as it flew past his head, and twisted him into an arm lock in the span of a second. He kicked at the back of the man’s knee and he crumpled with a pained cry. Thor whistled and another member from Brunhilde’s security team came over from where they’d been on crowd control and flattened him, requesting the police.

Skurge urged her to keep walking towards the dressing room and she begrudgingly agreed, angrily wiping her lips along the way. She yanked the door open and waved Skurge away, but pointed at Thor. “You. In here. Now.”

Thor followed her and shut the door behind them. Brunhilde ripped off her gloves and tossed them down on the dresser. “What the hell is your bloody problem?”

Thor stood at the door, perfectly impassive, not a hair out of place even after his very short tussle with the man. “What do you mean, Miss Valkyrie?”

“Did you not read my profile? I can defend myself. I didn’t need your help.”

Thor raised his eyebrows slightly. “With all due respect, my lady, is that not what you hired me to do?”

“My producer hired you,” she clarified. “What, you think I’m sort of damsel in distress? Is that what gets you off?”

Thor continued staring calmly at her. “If I may, Miss Valkyrie, it would greatly damage your public image if people were to see you breaking a fan’s nose. He will be dealt with by the proper authorities. I apologize that you had to endure it in the first place. I had my suspicions about the fellow, but I misjudged his intentions.”

“I don’t need your goddamn apology.” She faced the mirror and began scraping off the makeup. “If that happens again, you’re through, do you understand me?”

“Yes, Miss Valkyrie.”

Again, she scowled at his total lack of emotional response. He definitely had been trained not to react. She tossed the makeup removal cloth into the trash can by the dresser and stood with an annoyed sigh. “Now make yourself useful and help me out of this bloody corset.”

Out of her peripheral, she could see him fidget slightly, and had to hide a smile. Oho. So maybe he did have a vulnerable spot. “Miss Valkyrie, I believe a member of your wardrobe should do that—”

“This thing is crushing my rib cage and I don’t feel like waiting for them. Hurry up.”

“It is inappropriate for me to see you in a state of undress.”

She snorted. “Then you’re not going to like living in my mansion, are you? Grow up, Odinson. I don’t have all day. Are you going to do what I say or not?”

A tense silence followed. Then, slowly, he walked over to her. She stared straight ahead at the wall, but she could still see in the mirror that his face had turned just slightly pink. She bit her lip to keep from smiling this time. Was it possible that Mr. Odinson happened to be a gentleman?

Brunhilde felt it as his fingers carefully untied the double knot at the base of her corset. He started to step back, but she interrupted. “Ah, ah. The zipper as well, Odinson.”

She heard him exhale in exasperation and almost danced a victory jig. So she _could_ get to him on some level. He reached up to the top of the back of the corset, his knuckles brushing between her shoulder blades.

And despite herself, she shivered the tiniest bit.

Uh-oh.

He unzipped the corset about halfway and then cleared his throat, retreating immediately. “I believe you can reach it from there, Miss Valkyrie. If that’s all?”

She finally let the smug smile slide over her lips as she unzipped the corset the rest of the way, revealing that she wore nothing beneath it. Although she didn’t face him, Thor quickly turned to one side, and she had to stifle a giggle.

“Yes, that’s all, Odinson.”

He made a hasty exit, and she let the pleased giggles slip out as she grabbed her normal clothes. She changed and let her hair out of its complicated up-do before leaving the dressing room with her belongings. Two of her security guards had left to deal with the douchebag that kissed her, so Skurge followed up in the rear, two on either side of her, Thor up front. Skurge and the others dispersed to help shoo the crowd and photographers away, leaving her and Thor to walk towards the specially designated parking space.

Out of nowhere, Brunhilde heard the sound of someone gunning an engine behind her.

Before she could even think to move, Thor had scooped her up and thrown himself to one side as an SUV with blacked out windows barreled onto the sidewalk in the exact spot she’d been standing.

Thor’s heavy body hit the wall of the building behind them, one arm holding her tight to his chest, the other shielding her head and neck. The SUV slammed into the back of the limo with a sickening crunch, tires squealing, and then peeled out back onto the street without ever stopping. It disappeared around the corner at the light with another scream of tires.

For a handful of seconds, Brunhilde couldn’t move an inch.

She regained full awareness as she heard someone saying her name, but it sounded as if it had been through a tunnel underwater; so distant that it was hard to focus on it. Then, she realized she’d buried her face in Thor’s dress shirt, clinging to him like a limpet, shaking from head to toe.

The sound drained into her ears, and she felt his hand against the small of her back, gently stroking it. The other hand lay on her shoulder to keep her upright, and his deep voice kept saying the same thing. “You’re alright. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

She listened to him repeat the calming phrases a couple more times and then managed to regain the ability to move. He didn’t try to cling to her as she broke from his grasp, just hovered nearby and asked if she was hurt. She shook her head numbly and stared at the bashed-in bumper to her limo.

“Okay,” Brunhilde mumbled. “Maybe I need just a little help.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brunhilde and Thor try to make it through her second day after the threatening letter and the attempt on her life.

“Brun? Hey, Brun? You with me, majesty?”

Brunhilde groaned and yanked the covers over her head. “Piss off.”

She heard a familiar chuckle. “Sorry, but I can’t. You’re half an hour late for your briefing with the pretty boy.”

She grunted into her pillow. “Let ‘im wait. I have a fucking hangover. Can’t he just tell me in a text message or something?”

“Hey, if it were up to me, that’d be the case, but Ronnie is about ten seconds from kicking your door down and dragging you out of bed by the hair.”

“Ha. I’d like to see her try.”

“So would I. And I’d record it and post it on Worldstar.”

Brunhilde laughed hoarsely and finally sat up in her bed. “You would do that, ya tosser.”

Skurge winked and held out a glass of water and a fistful of aspirin. She accepted them with mumbled thanks and nodded to the door. “Fine, fine. Gimme a minute and I’ll be down.”

“There’s a good lady,” he said warmly. “Got your coffee waitin’ for ya downstairs.”

“What would I do without you, Skurge?” she sighed.

“Let’s hope we never find out,” he said with a wink, and shut the door as he left.

Brunhilde hauled to her feet and shuffled into the bathroom. She made herself semi-presentable, donning an oversized t-shirt and pajama bottoms, and frowned at the circles beginning to form beneath her eyes. She hadn’t slept too well, mostly tossing and turning during the night, replaying the attempt on her life over and over again. Would she have been fast enough to avoid it on her own? She didn’t know, and it bothered her intensely.

At the very least, she had appreciated that Thor said nothing else after the crash. He’d called an entirely new limo, tucked her into it with her whole team except for one guard, and then handled everything with the police report. She’d been taken straight to the airport to fly home, and she’d been grateful for not having to deal with it just yet. She needed time to think and absorb.

And to drink.

A _lot_.

Brunhilde grimaced on her way down the stairs, each step sending a throbbing ache to her forehead thanks to the hangover, and found her crew assembled in the den sipping coffee and eating light breakfast set on trays nearby.

“Good morning, miss,” Bruce Banner said in his ever-so-calming voice, offering her a large white mug with her favorite brand of coffee, already with the appropriate amounts of sugar and cream. “Feeling any better since last night?”

“Worse, actually,” she told him, but flicked him a thin smile. “Any chance you made—”

“Blueberry scones?” he finished for her, lifting an eyebrow. “How else are you going to get over that hangover?”

She chuckled and went to the tray, grabbing one and taking a big bite. “Fanks, Brucie.”

Brunhilde flopped onto the far end of her off-white leather couch and chewed for a while as she examined the large, glossy photographs of the smashed limo spread over the table. Thor sat at the other end with a laptop balanced on his knees, his blue eyes intently focused.

“So what’s the word on last night?” she asked, and the murmurs died down.

“Car was stolen,” Thor said. “So the license plates I grabbed didn’t much matter. We had a few fans turn in the footage they captured, but unfortunately, the windows are indeed too dark to see the driver. The police gave chase after we called 911, but they were too late to catch the culprit. The car was ditched inside a parking garage about a mile and a half from the concert hall. It was wiped of prints and no one saw the driver exit. There aren’t any security cameras in the area.”

“So bupkiss, then?” she said flatly.

Thor shook his head. “Not entirely. The window of time from when the SUV was stolen to when your concert ended may produce some results, but it will take some time to determine the timeframe. They are currently trying to reach the vehicle’s owner, and once they do, they can start working backwards from where it was taken to find witnesses or other evidence.”

“Fine,” she sighed into her coffee cup. “What else?”

Thor shut his laptop and folded his hands. “For the time being, I believe you should not do any more backstage VIP visits. It presents too good of an opportunity for your stalker to strike. Issue an apology to the fans and give them something very nice and personalized for their time and contributions instead. As for your transportation, we will not do any on-street parking and we will clear the streets during your arrival and departures for anywhere off of these grounds. It will be tedious, but it reduces the chances of someone being given the opportunity to hurt you.”

He paused. “I also believe you should cancel the remaining concerts this week.”

Brunhilde glared. “I don’t give a damn what you believe. That is not happening.”

“Brun,” Veronica said. “The man worked in the Secret Service for eight years. Can you at least bother to listen to his advice?”

“I don’t care if he’s worked for them since he was a toddler,” she growled. “I am not about to let some wacko think he can intimidate me into become a goddamn recluse, Ronnie. It’s my life. It’s my career. I am not afraid of this bastard, and I am not going to change my lifestyle because he’s got it out for me.”

“I watched the footage from last night,” Veronica said quietly. “You and I both know this is not like the other stalkers. Is it really worth it to you to die over your pride?”

“It’s not pride. I don’t cower. It’s who I am, and I am not letting someone control me for any reason, whether it’s you, the pretty boy, or the sick fuck who wants me dead. The concerts are going to happen and that’s final.”

Brunhilde flicked her gaze to Thor’s waist and gave him a sharp smile. “Unless you think you’re man enough to handcuff me to my bed, big boy.”

Thor stared at her, still as impassive as ever.

Then he stood up.

Everyone in the room but Brunhilde tensed and inhaled sharply.

Thor smiled, buttoned his suit jacket, and then nodded to her. “As you wish, my lady.”

He scooped up the papers and his laptop, dropped them into his briefcase, and left without another word.

* * *

“ _My lady,”_ Brunhilde said mockingly under her breath as she strode down the hall towards the gym. “Dunno who the hell he thinks is. Prince Harry or some shit. I’d love to wipe that dumb smile right off his dumb face.”

 _His face is not dumb,_ her brain reminded her. _In fact, it’s pretty amazing_.

“Oh, shut it,” she groused at herself. “So what if he’s handsome? There’s plenty other fish in the bloody sea.”

_How many of those other fish saved your life?_

She fumed, unable to answer, and then turned the corner to walk inside her personal gym.

Only to find it occupied.

Thor stood at the far end of the large room of workout equipment, his back to her, working on a speedbag.

With the utmost perfect precision.

She stood stock-still in wonderment as she watched his fists pummel the speedbag, his movements smooth, effortless, like it was nothing at all to him. He wore a black tank top and loose basketball shorts, which left his deliciously muscular arms, slightly shiny with sweat, on full display. The muscles bunched and relaxed beneath his golden skin in a manner that was honestly fascinating. She felt the sudden urge to reach out to squeeze a bicep just to see if it was as firm as it looked. Truly, the man was just like the Norse god of his namesake.

Brunhilde shook herself a bit and walked all the way into the gym, lifting her voice over the rocking noise of the speedbag. “Don’t stop on my account.”

Thor caught the bag in one hand so it wouldn’t whack him in the face and turned towards her, that same polite smile on his lips. “Forgive me, Miss Valkyrie. I didn’t mean to intrude if this is your chosen time to use the gym.”

“It isn’t,” she said, pulling on her workout gloves. “I just needed to blow off some steam. An incredibly annoying thing just popped up in my life and I feel the need to work it out via percussive therapy.”

Again, he didn’t seem offended, and it irked her. “By all means, my lady, please go ahead.”

The bastard even politely lowered the speedbag to her height. She considered kicking him in the shin as she brushed past, but decided to take the high road. She set her stance and deliberately pummeled the bag in a faster rhythm than he had, showcasing her agility and focus. She felt him watching her with interest, and decided to see if she could poke the bear.

“So…Secret Service, huh?”

“Forgive me, my lady, but I believe your instructions were to not discuss anything that is not directly related to your protection,” he said sweetly.

Brunhilde’s eyebrow twitched. So he did have a smartass side to him. “I am inquiring about your qualifications for being able to protect me, so it’s admissible, Odinson.”

“Fair enough. What do you wish to know?”

“Why’d you leave? Work got too hard? Stress levels too high?” She paused and gave him a sly look over her shoulder. “Fucked the President’s wife?”

Thor crossed his arms. “I simply wanted a change of scenery. Nothing more.”

She caught the bag and turned to face him. “I don’t believe you.”

He shrugged. “That is your right.”

“You just de-escalate everything, don’t you?” she said, walking over and staring up at him. “Not a hair out of place, never a raised tone, no emotions, just perfectly placid like the surface of a lake. Do you ever feel anything, Odinson?”

He gave her a slow, secretive smile. “Again, my lady, my instructions clearly state that I am not to discuss anything with you that is not directly related to your safety.”

She snorted. “Oh, what do you care about rules? You’ve already broken one.”

He frowned. “I beg your pardon?”

“Last night,” Brunhilde said, and then went for the lowest of low blows. “When you grabbed me out of the way of the SUV. You touched me without my permission.”

For just a second, a hot glint of anger flickered through those blue eyes. But it was gone just as quickly as it appeared. However, he didn’t smile, and he did take a deep breath before he said, “My utmost apologies, Miss Valkyrie. I did not mean to disobey your direct order.”

Somehow, it just made her even more frustrated that he played along. She tried to keep it off her face. “See that it doesn’t happen again, Odinson.”

“Exactly how is it that I can find the time to ask permission if someone is in the process of making an attempt on your life?” he demanded.

“You’re the ‘specialist,’” she said, making quotation marks with her fingers. “You figure it out.”

Thor stared at her hard. “If I may speak freely for a moment, Miss Valkyrie.”

She rolled her eyes. “If you must.”

“I understand that you do not appreciate this interruption of your life, but it has happened and there is nothing either of us can do about it. It would be easier for the both of us if you did not fight me at every turn.”

She let out a scornful laugh. “Oh, this isn’t what it looks like when I fight, big boy. Trust me.”

He gave her a faint little smirk. “And this is not what it looks like when I fight either, my lady.”

“Is that a threat, Odinson?”

“No. Simply a fact, Miss Valkyrie.”

Brunhilde stepped close enough that a hard breath would bring their bodies together, her voice hard as steel, sharp as a knife. “You think I’m afraid of you, Odinson?”

“Not in the slightest,” he replied, and something she couldn’t quite put her finger on crept into his voice. It made her…stir below the waist, and she hadn’t felt that way in weeks. She could hear some sort of unspoken challenge in his tone, and it made her heart race.

“Then what? You think I owe you for saving my life?”

“I would never presume such a thing.”

Brunhilde gritted her teeth. “Then what do you think?”

“Why should you care what I think, my lady?”

“Answer the goddamn question.”

His gaze rolled over her from head to toe, and everywhere it touched her, goosebumps rose. “I think you are angry and afraid because you have never experienced something like this before, and it is easier to distract yourself by directing your anger at me than to face the fact that you are in danger.”

By the time the last word left his mouth, Brunhilde’s fist was already en route to his face.

Thor dodged it. She let out a grunt of irritation and swung again, but hit nothing but air. She darted forward, jabbing at him, and every last shot missed. He was too quick for a walking Redwood, and it just angered her more and more with every punch she threw.

Finally, she kicked off from the ground and grabbed him in a headlock, but Thor simply lifted up to his full height and slammed her down into the mat beneath him. Even then, to her fury, he’d done with a fraction of what she guessed was his total strength. He was… _playing with her_ , she realized.

“There,” Thor said with a friendly smile, one hand propped by her head, the other by her waist, both golden brows lifted. “Feel better now?”

She tried for a double-handed headache punch, but Thor caught her wrists and slammed them to the mat on either side of her. He stayed above her, static and immovable and patient, watching her from under those pale lashes.

Brunhilde laughed.

Thor blinked at her, cocking his head slightly in puzzlement, and consequently looking like a big, confused golden retriever.

“So you are human after all,” she mused. “Not much of one, but human nonetheless. I thought for sure you’d sit there and take the beating.”

“The bruises would raise suspicion,” he said dryly. “And Veronica is already on high alert for that sort of thing. She told me you have a history of making your bodyguards want to hurt you.”

“Oh, you have no idea.”

“I have some idea,” he grumbled, and it was perhaps the first statement she’d ever heard from him that sounded entirely honest.

Brunhilde relaxed and lowered her thick lashes over her brown eyes, her voice adding a silken tone. “Have I upset you, Odinson? Have I been a bad girl? Maybe a good spanking is in order.”

She heard it as his breath caught in his throat. Brunhilde nearly cheered. She’d finally managed to blindside him. What a treat.

He swallowed before speaking. “I believe this conversation is in the utmost violation of sexual harassment policies outlined by my contract.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Well, you are straddling me, after all. Of course it is.”

“Only out of self-defense.”

Brunhilde grinned and wiggled one hand free, reaching in the direction of his pelvis. “And is that boner you’ve got at half-mast part of said self-defense?”

Thor blushed and then finally pushed off of her in the wake of her trilling laughter. He cleared his throat and adjusted the shorts slightly to help hide his condition. “You did just say I am human.”

“Mm,” she said, sauntering back towards the speedbag. “I guess we’ll find out just how human soon enough, won’t we?”

“Perhaps, my lady,” Thor said, softly, huskily, enough that she couldn’t resist glancing back to see him wink at her before he headed for the door. “Perhaps.”

* * *

Brunhilde had a plan, finally, and it filled her with vibrant, petty energy to carry it out.

“My lady, is there not a better time in which I can do this?” Thor protested.

“I have to be at the airport in half an hour, and I have to practice vocals on the drive there. Stop being such a bloody prude.”

She strode out from her massive walk-in closet in just her underwear with two different outfits on hangers in her hands. Not just any underwear. Fancy, lacy, beautiful, expensive underwear that she normally reserved for her weekend escapades with shallow boytoys. Was it uncomfortable? Certainly. Was it worth it to see Thor’s face turn red? Absolutely.

“Now then,” she said crisply, holding up the dresses. “The red or the purple for the afterparty?”

Thor quickly glanced up from the manila folder. “The red.”

“Thank you.” She tossed it on the bed and returned to the closet. “Now what’s all this fuss about a suspect?”

“The police have requested that we create a list of the people who wish you serious harm.”

“Aside from you?”

“I would not be paid if any harm were to come to you, Miss Valkyrie,” he reminded her with a roll of his eyes. “Now will you please cooperate?”

“Fine,” she grumbled as she picked through her clothing. “There’s my first personal assistant, Andy. There’s all four of my previous heads of security: Lester, Graham, Doug, and John. There’s my former singing partner, Hela. There’s the head of my unofficial fan club, Meredith. Everyone else who hates me is just a part of the rabble. Why are we even doing this when you all think it’s the asshole who stabbed Honey anyway?”

“Occasionally, some criminals engage in misdirection. Pretending to be one person and it turns out they are a separate party entirely. Sticking the death threat to your door is different from trying to hit you with an SUV. This suggests either more than one suspect or the suspect is trying to throw us off with conflicting behavior.”

She returned from the closet and held up two pairs of heels. “The black or the yellow?”

Again, Thor glanced up. “The black.”

She tossed them on the bed next to the dress. “What’s conflicting about those two things?”

“The knife on the door shows careful planning and deeply personal rage. It implies that they know you. They know how to evade security measures and how to rattle you with a home invasion. In contrast, the SUV attempt is far more impersonal and messy, as there is a greater chance of finding them with that act than with the knife.”

“I thought you said both had no evidence left behind.”

“There is no perfect crime, my lady. Evidence is always left behind. It only needs to be found.”

She reappeared with jewelry this time. “Silver, gold, or bronze?”

“Bronze,” he said.

“So you think it’s either two separate culprits or one is pretending to be the stalker?”

“Yes,” he said. “For now.”

“Then what do we do?”

“Once we make it past the deadline of one week, it is likely that your assailant will become irrationally angry with not being able to complete his or her threat. If they are unbalanced, they may try to do something in a rush for quick gratification, and that is likely when we can catch them.”

Brunhilde nodded. “So the important part is making it past one week. After that, you think I should be bait.”

Thor winced. “It would not be my first choice. Bait means putting you in an unnecessary risk.”

“I want this idiot in jail as soon as possible. I’ll be bait if I have to. The Grammy’s are this weekend anyway, and I’m nominated, so that should be the perfect opportunity.” She wriggled into her dress and then cleared her throat impatiently. “If you don’t mind, pretty boy.”

He sighed and set the folder on the bed, walking over to zip her up. “Again, I remind you that this is unprofessional.”

“No wonder your posture is so straight,” she said, rolling her eyes. “That pole up your ass must be enormous.”

Thor paused, and she almost asked why. Gently, he brushed her long, dark hair over her shoulder and she nearly jumped at the sudden brush of his rough fingertips on her bare skin. He moved in close enough that she got a whiff of his cologne—light, fragrant, a little earthy—and heat poured off of him to settle over her. She nearly shut her eyes to it. She hadn’t felt that presence in a while, and she missed it.

“Done a lot of thinking about my _pole_ , have you?” he murmured in her ear as he zipped up her dress.

Brunhilde’s jaw almost plopped onto the carpet in pure shock.

“I—you—what—” She couldn’t recover fast enough before he chuckled softly and moved away.

“Come along, my lady,” Thor said innocently. “We do not want to be late for the interview.”

Seething, Brunhilde finished placing the outfit and heels in her suit bag, donned her shoes, and stomped towards the open door, grateful that her brown skin prevented him from seeing her blush.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brunhilde and Thor start to get to know each other a little better.

“Oh my God. Who is _that?”_

“Who?” Brunhilde asked as she lowered her whiskey glass back onto the table.

Brunhilde's brunette friend, Sybil, pointed. “That hunk of prime rib over there in the black suit.”

“What? Thor? Oh, he’s my new bodyguard.”

Sybil licked her red lips. “Uh-huh. You fucked him yet?”

Brunhilde almost choked. “Uh, no, Sybil.”

“Well, can I?” she asked hungrily.

“Be my guest,” Brunhilde snorted. “He’s so straight-laced he’ll bore your panties right off you. You’d be snoring with his dick in your mouth.”

Sybil’s Long Island iced tea squirted out of her nostrils. She grabbed a napkin, laughing into it as she wiped her face. “ _Jesus_ , Brun. That bad, huh?”

“Terrible,” she groaned. “The worst one yet. I can’t have any fun with him at all.”

“ _You?”_ she said, affronted. “You can get a rise out of any man, or hell, woman you want. Has the famous Valkyrie finally met her match?”

“I wouldn’t go quite that far,” she said sullenly. “He’s just a harder egg to crack than usual. Stubborn as a donkey.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing. He did save your life, right?”

“Sort of,” she grumbled, pouring more whiskey. “Dull as dish water, though.”

Sybil eyed her. “Mm-hmm. Don’t tell me you’ve got a little crush on the bodyguard.”

“Sod off,” Brunhilde growled. “I do not. If I really wanted him that badly, I’d have him. He’d be begging me to sit on his face if I put in the effort.”

“Is that right?”

“Damn right it is.”

“Okay, seductress,” Sybil said, her brown eyes gleaming. “Want to put your money where your mouth is? Pun intended?”

Brunhilde eyed her. “How?”

“I bet you can’t give him a hickey.”

She glared. “That is absurd. I’m not going to fuck my bodyguard.”

“I didn’t say fuck him, I said give him a hickey.”

“Hickeys usually proceed fucking, Syb.”

“Oh, come on, I’m sure you could manage to make an excuse to get yourself out of it.” Sybil gave her a sly look. “Assuming you want to, anyway.”

“You are so ridiculous. I’m not an animal. I have restraint. Why should I even do this stupid bet? It’s not like I need any money.”

“This is about your pride as a woman,” Sybil insisted. “This is also about me living vicariously through you. I want you to go suck that man's neck for the sake of all straight women and gay men. Will you accept your mission, oh great Valkyrie?”

Brunhilde tried not to laugh at the strange seriousness of her friend’s tone. Well, it would be a good bit of mischief if she could tug on the small thread of his attraction to her.

And, truth be told, she hadn’t done anything remotely sexual with anyone for over a month.

She bit her lower lip as she eyed Thor from across their VIP booth. He stood just to one side of it, scanning the dance floor, occasionally politely telling women he couldn’t dance with them. The bright blue lights flattered his features nicely. She had to admit he was quite the hunk, and she wouldn’t mind sinking her teeth into him, literally.

"How much time do I have?" Brunhilde asked.

"Hmm, I should see you again in a couple days. Just by then and I'll consider you the Queen of Seduction, unchallenged by man nor woman."

Brunhilde downed the rest of her drink. "You're on."

With that, she stood and slunk her way out of the VIP booth, giving Skurge a quick pat on the shoulder on her way out to let him know she was about to approach the dance floor.

She swayed with the reggae beat until she knew she was within Thor's field of vision. She never looked his way, not once, but she made sure that her body would be perfectly centered for him to see it as she moved.

And she simply cut loose.

Music was as natural to her as breathing, as was singing or dancing to it. She'd been singing and dancing as early as three years old, and it might as well have been the blood in her veins. She could spin and twirl and hit every last beat on time, and she could do it while looking flawless. Men and women flocked to her as she twisted and writhed, her brown skin luminous under the bluish lights, her curves inviting and enticing. She danced with different partners, closely, intimately, and while she knew Thor wasn't looking directly at her either, she _knew_ he could see her. There was nothing obvious about it, but she picked up on how he adjusted his stance and that told her he was very affected by seeing her move so sensually.

A while passed and Skurge fetched her to leave since she would have to be up relatively early for her vocal practice with the band. She gave Sybil a smooch on the cheek goodbye and headed out with her posse to the back alley behind the club where her limo awaited.

The back door popped open on the dimly lit alley, and just as she exited, she heard voices. She could see not too far away was a group of men, seven of them, laughing and drunkenly smashing beer bottles against the brick wall. One of them looked up to see her and gave her a long, nasty grin. "Oho, lookie here. Is that who I think it is over there, fellas?"

Brunhilde groaned. "Perfect timing."

The seven drunks began loudly cat-calling to her, each suggestion filthier than the last, and Skurge and his guards warned them to disband before they called the cops. The men got angry and defensive, demanding to be given her autograph. They shoved the guards and a fight broke out.

"Damn it," Thor growled, opening the door to the limo to usher Brunhilde to safety. Before she could step into, another two thugs who had been creeping up from the rear seized her by the arms.

Thor didn't hesitate. He aimed a swift, hard kick to the left thug's kneecap. It snapped like a twig and he hit the ground with a shriek.

Brunhilde threw her head straight back and broke the other thug's nose, then turned and hit him with two vicious jabs and kneed him in the groin. He too hit the pavement with a whimper. Thor scooped her up and bodily carried her into the limo, slamming the door shut and barking at the driver to leave. The limo lurched out onto the road and zipped around the corner, leaving the brewing brawl in their dust.

"Bugger," Brunhilde groaned, shaking out her hand as it stung sharply. Thor slid one hand up into her thick, glossy tresses and felt for a bump, frowning as she hissed when he touched it.

"Is your vision blurred? Do you feel faint?" he asked.

"No, you stupid Norbert," she muttered. "I told you I was trained. I hit him with the toughest, thickest part of my skull, so there's just a knot. I don't have a concussion."

"Yes, yes, I know you aren't a damsel in distress," he said with a faint smile as he examined her hands, looking for any fractures. "But it is still my job to make sure you're alright."

He pulled a pocket square from his jacket and dabbed at the bits of blood on the back of her hand. She watched him warily, how gently he touched her, how he was still breathing hard from the fight but yet he could focus so intently on her. "I'll ring Skurge after we get back to the hotel to make sure he and the others are okay--"

She couldn't have explained why she did it, but she reached up, pulled him down to her, and kissed him.

She could blame the whiskey. She could blame the adrenaline. She could blame her libido.

But she'd be lying if she did.

Thor's lips were very, very soft. He tasted like Mentos and spring water. Up close, his beard smelled amazing, as if he'd either combed cologne into it or had some kind of moisturizer to keep it neat. She loved the roughness against her chin and cheeks as she licked the corner of his lips and then bit the lower one with a small, hungry little groan.

Brunhilde drew back, still panting heavily, her skin on fire, her body screaming at her to mount him in this very limousine and fuck him into another dimension. His expression only made things worse; somewhere between aroused, surprised, and concerned all at once.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Thor cleared his throat and nodded slowly. "You are welcome, my lady."

They spent the ride back to the hotel in silence that was neither comfortable nor uncomfortable. He escorted up to the honeymoon suite--she'd demanded the biggest room possible since she hated hotels and felt far too confined in normal ones--and bid her goodnight before settling into his own suite next door. She took a hot shower, threw on a t-shirt, and fell into bed. She drifted off to sleep immediately.

And had the most terrible nightmares.

Sometime near two o'clock in the morning, Brunhilde thrashed in her bed and screamed bloody murder.

A few seconds later, Thor barreled into her room, shirtless, a naked gun in one hand. "My lady?"

He scanned the room quickly to see her in bed, sobbing into the sheets, her body twisting as if something was tearing her apart from the inside. He cursed, shut and locked the door, and put the safety on the gun before setting it aside. He hurried over to her bed and gripped her shoulders, dodging her flailing arms. "Miss Valkyrie...Valkyrie, please, it's alright, wake up...Brunhilde!"

Her brown eyes popped open. She tried to scratch him, but he held her down as carefully as he could until she blinked and came out of the dream the rest of the way. "It's alright. You're safe. Easy, easy."

She lay there, soaked with sweat, staring up at him. "W-What happened?"

Thor let her go and sat on the bed beside her. "You had a nightmare. You screamed. I thought someone was after you, so I came in."

She sat up and scraped her damp hair off her forehead, hugging her arms. "Oh. S-Sorry, I guess that wasn't in the profile."

He frowned. "What wasn't in the profile?"

Brunhilde wouldn't meet his gaze. "I, um, I get night terrors sometimes. About what happened when I was a kid. I, um, I came home from school and there had been a burglary. He...my parents...didn't make it. Cops got there just when he was about to start in on me."

"Christ," Thor whispered. "My lady, I am so sorry."

She slid her bare legs over the side of the bed and shuffled over to the wet bar. She poured a couple fingers' worth of whiskey and downed it in one go.

"Is that why you do that to yourself?" he asked quietly.

"Wouldn't you?" she asked just as quietly.

"I do not mean to judge. I am merely concerned. Have you tried therapy?"

"On and off," she grunted. "Suppresses it sometimes. Other times, it has no effect."

She poured another finger's worth and padded to the bed. After a moment, she held it out to him. Thor took a healthy sip and gave it back. "This at least gets my brain quiet enough to go back to sleep after the nightmares."

"You must know you can't go on like that forever."

Brunhilde gave him a ghost of a smile. "I'm here for a good time, not a long time."

He returned it. "True enough. I apologize for intruding. I wish you a better rest, Miss Valkyrie."

Thor rose to go, but she caught his arm. He glanced over to see her nibbling her lip. "Could you...y'know..."

He waited for her to elaborate. She sucked her teeth and glared into the amber liquid in the glass. "Oh, for heaven's sake, you thick-headed man. Would you just stay until I'm asleep? I always feel a little better that way. Skurge usually does it, but he's getting stitches from that stupid fight."

Thor nodded. "It's alright, my lady, I will stay."

Brunhilde knocked back the whiskey and sat the empty glass on the nightstand before wiggling beneath the sheets. Thor gave her another faint smile. "Shall I tell you a bedtime story?"

"I'll knock your teeth out if you do."

He grinned. "Very well."

For a short bit, neither of them spoke, just looking at one another. Eventually, she poked at his bicep. "Seriously, though, how many hours do you spend in the bloody gym?"

Thor laughed. It was a nice, rumbling sound like thunder rolling over plains. She liked it a lot. "Not as much time as you think."

"I'm sure your girlfriend, or boyfriend, appreciate it very much."

"They would if I had one," he said. "And it's girlfriend. I am straight."

"I figured, but didn't want to assume." He didn't flinch or draw away as she trailed her fingers up and down his arm, mostly just admiring the musculature, but what really drew her eye were the scars dotted over his upper torso.

"Eight years," she murmured, running her fingertips across his collarbone to the scar just under his throat. "Eight years of scars. Have any of them healed?"

Thor watched her carefully, his voice soft. "Some."

She flattened her palm over his pectoral, feeling the steady strength of his heartbeat. Part of her longed to make it go faster. He truly was a sight to behold in the silvery moonlight pouring in from the window. She wanted to curl around him like a cat. She wanted to steal his warmth and add it to her own. She'd never met someone who made her feel that way after only a couple of days, and it both scared and intrigued her.

Brunhilde shut her eyes and concentrated on the thrum of his heart. Then, gradually, she relaxed against the pillow and the mattress and drifted off again. She was just awake enough to feel the press of his lips on her forehead, and his deep voice murmuring, "Good night, Valkyrie," before she fell asleep.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trouble comes a-knocking for Brunhilde.

Surprisingly, Brunhilde slept through the rest of the night peacefully. She awoke and decided it had been because of the whiskey, not being tucked in by her far-too-understanding bodyguard.

She had just finished washing her face when she heard a knock at the door. She checked the clock. Room service, right on time. Her stomach rumbled as she walked to the door, calling, "Coming!"

She opened it to find a cart and a covered silver tray, but no attendant. Brunhilde frowned, glancing to and fro in the hallway, but no one was there. Odd. Maybe he had more than one cart and had to hustle to get breakfast out on time.

Brunhilde wheeled it inside and yawned, popping it open to grab a scone.

What she found beneath it made her scream and drop the lid.

A dead, mutilated rat sat in the center of the plate, and atop it was a strip of paper in the same handwriting as the note on her door.

**You're dead meat, Valkyrie.**

She covered her mouth, staring at the horrid thing as the doors in the hall banged open. Thor was the first one through the door, mostly dressed in his white button-down and black pants, his gun out. Skurge barreled through a second later, shouting her name.

Thor took one look at the rat and the note and grabbed his walkie-talkie. "I need a building sweep right now, starting with a head count of the employees. Check all stairways and elevators first and tell them to alert the parking attendants to anyone who appears to be fleeing the scene."

Skurge hurried to her side. "You okay, majesty?"

She nodded, unable to look away from the pooling blood around the creature's guts. "S-Sorry, it just...startled me. I'm not hurt, I swear."

"He couldn't have gotten far," he told her. "Do you want me to stay or go look with the fellas?"

Brunhilde shook her head. "No, go, it's alright."

He nodded tightly, and glanced at Thor. "Don't let her out of your sight, mate."

Skurge left the hotel suite and Thor locked it behind him. He quickly snapped a few shots of the threat letter and then put the lid on it and shoved it into the closet. Brunhilde stood in the same spot, her breath shallow, hugging her arms. Thor walked over after he holstered his gun and slipped his arm around her.

"Come on," he said softly. "Come on, sit down."

For once, she didn't protest; she just shuffled back to her bed and sat. He went to the wet bar and poured her a class of cold water. She accepted it and drank the whole thing down at once.

"How?" Brunhilde mumbled as he knelt in front of her. "How does he keep finding me?"

"Stalkers are good at that," Thor said with a faint, humorless smile. "At being unnoticed and catching you unaware. But they all have the same fatal flaw, and that's how we catch them."

Brunhilde tried to clear her tight throat. "And what's that?"

"They need to taunt you. They need you to acknowledge them. Eventually, it becomes all they can think about, and that's when they make a mistake." Thor nodded to the closet. "That's his last mistake. He had to make it personal in a public place. Mark my words, my lady. We will find him and we will bring him to justice."

"Tell that to Honey," she whispered hoarsely.

Thor slid his warm hands over her cold ones. "Honey didn't have me."

Brunhilde sighed and dropped her forehead to rest against his. "That shouldn't make me feel better."

She smiled a bit. "But it does."

Thor smiled back. "Good."

Roughly fifteen minutes later, Skurge and the others returned with a lead. During the hotel's shutdown and search, they'd found one of the room service busboys tied up in a stall in the basement level bathroom. They had an EMT check him out. He was woozy, but coherent.

"I didn't see much," the young man said, holding a bag of ice to the knot on his forehead. "Um, white guy, pretty tall, thin, goatee. I was on my way to take care of the VIP breakfasts in the kitchen and he followed me into the bathroom. Thought he was just a new guy taking a piss, but then he whacked me in the head and took my uniform."

"Are there any security cameras between that bathroom and the kitchen?" Thor asked.

The young man shook his head. Then he frowned. "Oh, um, but I had to get those scones she likes off the back of the catering truck that was delivered this morning. The loading dock has cameras."

Thor gave the kid a pat on the shoulder. "Brilliant work, lad. Thank you."

He and the rest of the security team hurried out to speak with management. By the time they got back, Veronica had made it in to stay with Brunhilde as moral support.

"This," Thor said, handing her a grainy print out. "Is our suspect."

Brunhilde stared at the photo of a dark-haired man in his late thirties or early forties, thin and almost rodent-like in appearance as he picked up the food from the back of the catering truck.

"Do you recognize him?" Veronica asked.

"No," Brunhilde said. "At least not right off the bat."

"Here's the sketch Honey gave the cops of her assailant," Skurge said, handing her his phone. She held them next to each other, and they were spitting images of each other.

"So from here, we can collaborate with the police on what they have for this man," Thor said. "There's a manhunt out for him now."

Brunhilde handed the items back and took a deep breath. "Why didn't he kill me when he had the chance?"

"Wouldn't have been a clean getaway," Skurge said. "Not with all of us on this floor beside you, and you would not have gone quietly into the night if he'd attacked you. I've seen your reflexes, Brun. Even if he'd had a gun, you'd have disarmed him and caused a ruckus."

She nodded numbly. "So what now?"

"Unless he's just stupid, he won't try the same trick twice," Thor said. "We stay here for the night and see what we can find investigating. I've hired an extra team for your concert tonight, so you'll have coverage from every single point possible, and overnight security as well."

He paused, and added softly, "Are you certain you do not want to cancel the show tonight?"

Brunhilde snorted. "I'd rather die."

Everyone rolled their eyes except for Thor. He studied her, and she couldn't help but glance away as she stood to her feet. "Well, we all know where we stand, so let's get this show on the road. I've got to practice my vocals, so beat it."

The security team took the horrible remains of the rat out to turn over to the police. Everyone filed out...except for Thor.

Brunhilde went inside the bathroom and flipped on the water, running a hot bath. She brushed her hair in the mirror, pretending not to notice him as he strode in behind her. "Yes?"

He took a deep breath. "I owe you an apology."

Brunhilde frowned. "For what?"

"He should never have gotten that close to you," he said gravely. "Everything that happened this morning wouldn't have happened if I had requested a hotel with better security."

"Blaming yourself is not going to catch this fucker," she said frankly, piling her hair into a bun. "And this hotel is one of the best in the country, and we had no idea it was even possible for him to get in with all the keycards and whatnot."

"Miss Valkyrie, you could have..." He swallowed hard. "If anything had happened to you--"

"Thor," she said sharply. "It _didn't_. Alright?"

He nodded. "Yes, my lady. I just..."

She faced him and softened her voice a bit. "You just what?"

He stared at her, something conflicted in those blue eyes, his jaw tight. He gripped her shoulders, and with their height difference, she felt tiny in comparison. His fingers slid down her arms until he held hers in his own, still saying nothing as he examined the faint bruises on her knuckles from the tussle last night. He rubbed his thumb along the back of her hands, as if appreciating how soft they were. Then he squeezed them gently, let go, and left without another word.

* * *

Brunhilde lay awake that night.

The entire day had been tense as piano wire. She would never go back on her word, but she had wanted to cancel her appearance just due to her stress levels. As predicted, nothing happened. They escorted her to the stadium and back with no incidents. She'd performed to the best of her ability, but every second on stage in front of that crowd left a sharp ache of paranoia between her shoulder blades, like an animal that knew a predator had it in its sights. She knew better than to let it get to her, and yet here she lay at three in the morning, restless.

She sighed and threw off the covers, pushing to her feet. She paced for a bit, but the tightness at her center wouldn't unfurl. She texted Skurge, but he didn't answer. He may have already switched shifts with one of the others to get some rest.

Against her better judgment, Brunhilde threw on her robe and opened the door, peeking out into the hall. The extra guards were posted at the exits, sipping coffee and chatting quietly in the wee hours. None of them were facing her at the moment, so she slipped out and padded over to the next room. She lifted her hand to knock and froze for a moment. She winced. She was a grown woman. She didn't need to--

The door opened and she almost let out a yip of surprise. Thor stood there in a sleeveless white shirt and cotton pajama pants, frowning down at her. "My lady?"

"Sorry," Brunhilde mumbled, awkwardly shifting from foot to bare foot. "I...figured you might still be awake."

"Aye," he said, and then stepped to one side, nodding for her to come in. She padded into his room and he shut the door, locking it carefully. He didn't have the honeymoon suite, but he did have a large room with a slightly smaller set up: the King-sized bed straight ahead, bathroom to the right, a view of the cityscape if the blinds hadn't been drawn, walk-in closet. His bed was unmade, but she could tell he hadn't been asleep; his handgun was disassembled on the coffee table by the sofa, and he had a cleaning tool in one hand.

"I can't sleep," she blurted out. "And I know I shouldn't be bothering you, but it was just--"

"It's alright," Thor said. "You've had a rough day. I don't mind the company. Please make yourself comfortable however you like."

Brunhilde chewed her lip. Her instincts told her to run. She was being stupid. She shouldn't let him see her this way. But the soft encouragement weakened her resolve and she muttered, "Okay."

She undid her robe, leaving her in a tank top and boy shorts, and climbed into his bed. She fluffed the pillows and curled around one, watching him return to the couch to finish cleaning and assembling the weapon. He moved with precision and surety. She had a hunch he did this often, maybe nightly or weekly from how smoothly he fit the pieces back together once they were clean.

His sheets smelled of him and of his cologne. The longer she lay there, the calmer she felt. Somehow, just his company made her feel better, even without any conversation.

"What did you want to be when you were a kid?" she asked out of the blue.

Thor glanced up, smiling faintly. "NFL player."

Brunhilde choked on a laugh. "No shit? Did you play?"

"Not until high school. Wasn't good enough, though, just decent at it. Went to school for a criminal justice degree and did some fieldwork until I got picked for the Secret Service."

"Is Washington as stuffy and insufferable as it looks?"

Thor whistled. "Even worse."

She chuckled. "I figured as much."

He finished reassembling the handgun and put it back in its holster before checking the time. "It is late, my lady. Perhaps you should try to get some rest."

Brunhilde sighed. "Guess so."

She saw him grab the blanket folded on the couch. "What the bloody hell are you doing?"

"Going to bed as well."

She rolled her eyes. "We're both adults, Thor. We can share a bed, especially one this damned enormous."

"My lady--"

"If you tell me it's unprofessional one more time, I am going to shoot you with your own gun."

Thor shook his head. "You are the most stubborn woman I have ever met."

"You're the one who wanted to stick to me like glue," she sniffed. "Always by my side."

Thor sighed and walked over to the bed. He peered down at her and said, "I am only cooperating because I know you will nag me to death if I do not obey you."

Brunhilde scowled. "I don't nag, Odinson."

He tugged the covers back and climbed in next to her. "So you say."

She kicked him in the knee and he just chuckled before shutting off the lamp. "Good night, Miss Valkyrie."

Despite herself, she couldn't help smiling as she answered back, "Good night, Odinson."

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get kicked up a notch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but it's a juicy one.

Once more, Brunhilde woke up surprised.

For one, she hadn't had any nightmares. She'd gone to sleep anticipating them, and yet nothing but dreamless sleep followed despite her late night and awful day. Odd.

For two, it took her a while to rouse into full consciousness. She was just so _comfortable_. Her bed felt heavenly and warm and she didn't want to ever return to the normal world.

A little happy sigh escaped her as she cuddled deeper into the cocoon of warmth. As she did, though, she pieced together something was different. She shouldn't have been quite this warm. And wasn't there something firm under her that wasn't usually there?

Brunhilde yawned and peeled her eyelids back to investigate further. Her head lay on Thor's broad chest. His arm had wound around her shoulders during the night, and their legs tangled between one another beneath the sheets. She'd cuddled right up to him, snug as a bug in a rug, as if they were more than just a client and her bodyguard.

And for a moment, she couldn't remember why that was a bad thing.

She didn't move at first, absorbing the bizarre idea that she liked snuggling up with him, and then let herself have a quiet moment to admire him. Thor looked perfectly adorable as he slept. She wouldn't have thought it possible of him, but here she was. A rugged angel in her arms. How absurd.

Thor mumbled something unintelligible and abruptly rolled onto his side, drawing her up into his embrace further, but he was still entirely asleep. Brunhilde fought down a chuckle as he buried his face in her neck and into her long, dark hair and finally poked him in the ribs. "Wake up, you great foolish lump. It's morning."

"Five more minutes," Thor slurred drowsily, his arms twisting around her tighter in defiance. She should have dissuaded him, but...wow, it felt nice to be chest-to-chest with a body this flawless. His pecs and abs rubbed pleasantly along her breasts and tummy. Little sparks of arousal popped through her body, and desire pooled between her thighs before she could stop it. It didn't help that he also smelled divine and he was clearly a healthy man, as she could feel his morning erection poking into her stomach.

Brunhilde shut her eyes and carded one hand through his golden-honey hair, humming a bit. "That would be nice, wouldn't it?"

She felt him inhale her scent, and then he went stricken for a second. Aha. He'd finally woken up.

Thor scooted away quickly, flushing pink and grabbing a fistful of sheets to cover his current condition. "My lady, please excuse me. I-I didn't, uh, I wasn't--I didn't mean to--"

"Relax," she told him. "I'm not a bloody virgin on her wedding night."

She lifted her eyebrows, smirking slightly as she glanced downward again. "Although, kudos."

Thor blushed even more deeply. "Even so, I apologize."

"Don't," she said, sinking into the downy-soft pillow and propping her head up on one hand. "I have to admit I've sort of...missed being held lately. It's been a while for me. Dating is such a headache when you're a celebrity. That's why so many of them date each other; at least they know what to expect and can do so safely and discreetly."

She nodded towards him. "What's your excuse?"

"I travel a lot. It's difficult to try and build a relationship when the length of my assignments changes so often."

"I imagine one night stands would be a picnic for you."

Thor shook his head slightly. "Not much for that sort of thing, to be honest."

She batted her lashes at him. "Why, Thor, are you a closet romantic?"

"Not exactly," he admitted. "I just like to be with someone for longer than a night."

"Who would have guessed it?" she teased, tracing a fingertip over the back of his forearm. "Mr. Hardbody is a softie deep down."

"Is there something wrong with that, my lady?"

“No. It’s just surprising. In my line of work, I don’t meet many good-looking men who actually want a relationship instead of just a quick shag.”

He peered at her. “Did you just pay me a compliment, Miss Valkyrie?”

“Is there something wrong with that, Odinson?”

“Just making sure I heard you correctly so I can properly enjoy it. I very much doubt it will happen again any time soon.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Brunhilde whispered. Then she leaned in enough to kiss him gently. She sighed a little as she tasted him again, the softness of his lips skyrocketing her pulse and filling her head with a myriad of filthy thoughts. An ache roared to life between her legs. Her skin flushed as she kissed him again, more deeply this time, and when he didn’t resist, her libido assumed control. She hooked one leg around his waist and rolled him onto his back, settling over his lap. Thor groaned as her curvy backside made contact with his pelvis and slid his hand up her mostly bare legs to her waist. She bit his bottom lip and ground down into him slowly, trailing her hands down his chest until she reached beneath his shirt. She set her nails into his hot skin and he hissed, squeezing her hips in warning. He licked her lips apart and let his tongue dive into her mouth, drawing little moans from her one at a time. Each one only made him hungrier, needier, and his touch emboldened. His hands stroked up and down her back, one eventually sliding into her thick, silken hair to brush it away from her face.

She broke from his lips with a groan and attacked his neck, sliding towards his collarbone, shoving his shirt up to bare more of his tanned skin. To her utter delight, he purred when she left a kiss mark. He pushed his hands underneath her own shirt in retaliation, his calloused fingertips skirting over her delicate golden-brown skin and eliciting sweet gasps from her throat.

With a sultry growl, he seized her and rolled them over, planting himself above her and kissing her passionately. Brunhilde moaned against his lips and wrapped her legs around him. She pulled him down against her completely and shuddered with delight at the sensation of his heavy body flattening her to the bed. His hips made lazy circles between her thighs, the tent in his pajamas brushing over her entrance beneath her shorts, and she pushed up into him just to sweeten it for both of them. Wild abandon flooded through her as she reached for the pajama bottoms to yank them away and see Thor’s hammer for herself.

And just as she did, Thor caught her wrists and pinned them by her head, tearing his mouth from hers with Herculean effort.

She stared up at him in confusion, panting from exertion, half-drunk from kissing him. “Thor?”

He struggled to breathe, his eyes shut, enormous frame still against her. His voice came out hoarse and pained and far too quiet. “I can’t.”

“You can’t what?”

“I can’t do this,” he whispered. “It’s not right.”

“Are you bloody _joking?”_ Brunhilde seethed.

Thor forced himself to look down at her, and it only made him more regretful. Her brown eyes shone so brightly with lust, her lush lips pinker from his kisses, her dark hair wreathed around her on the pillow like a crown, her skin glowing from his attentions. “You know we can’t do this.”

“We’re both consenting adults,” she shot back. “Not bloody horny teenagers. I don’t give a shit about your contract or our professional relationship, and if you’re telling me that you do, you’re a bloody liar.”

“It’s not about that,” Thor said gently. “I…what you want and what I want in the end are not the same thing.”

She glared. “You want to tell me what I want when you don’t bloody know what you want? Oh, that is rich.”

He clenched his jaw. “Just because I am exercising restraint does not mean I am unaware of my own desires, Miss Valkyrie. You cannot imagine how much I hate myself for stopping. I want you more than I have wanted anyone in ages. I want to tear off these shorts and fuck you with my tongue until you come screaming my name. I want to pick you up and slam you against the wall and fuck you silly. I want to watch you chase your pleasure as you ride me until we both can’t take another bloody second and we both lose our heads. You asked me why I left the Secret Service, and the truth is that I fell for someone there and it did not work out, so I wanted to start over and learn from my mistakes. You are a powerful, beautiful, compelling, frustrating woman and I care for you more deeply than I should after such a short amount of time. I will not risk your safety because of my feelings. I am sorry that I led you on and allowed it to reach this point, but we can’t give in. Maybe things will be different later on, but until we stop this man, I have to stay focused on protecting you.”

Brunhilde stared up at him and then let out a bitter chuckle. “Of course you’re the noble sort. Fucking figures, doesn’t it?”

She shoved him aside and climbed out of the bed, righting her wrinkled clothes and mussed hair. “Fine, Odinson. Play the monk. The only reason I didn’t fire you just now is that you are right. I still need your protection and you are my best bet surviving the week.”

She faced him, her onyx eyes ablaze. “And the second we catch this man, I never want to see you again.”

With that, Brunhilde stormed out of his room, and the door slammed like a gunshot.

* * *

Brunhilde locked herself inside her suite for the remainder of the day, and no one dared cross her enough to ask why. Thor managed to remain his usual polite self to the others, but he had a hard time not letting it show that he too was upset. He kept busy touching base with the police and putting together a board for the investigation into the stalker.

Not long after dinner, someone knocked on his door. Thor’s heart shot up into his throat. He swallowed hard and walked over to it, taking a deep breath.

And opened it to find Skurge.

“Evening, guv’nor,” Skurge said. “Mind if I have a word with you?”

“Not at all,” Thor said, stepping aside to let him in. The bald man walked into the suite and poured himself a drink, offering one to Thor, but he declined.

“So,” Skurge said, eyeing him. “I take it you and her majesty had it out last night, then?”

Thor frowned. “Excuse me?”

“I’ve known her for two years,” he said. “I spent part of those years keeping her company when she has her nightmares, so I know her pretty well. I knew the minute you walked into that foyer that she’d be on you inside of a week.”

“I believe you have misinterpreted our relationship.”

He rolled his eyes. “Come off it, ya twat. I came by to check on her last night and she wasn’t in her room. Three guesses where she went, and I didn’t need two of them. So did you do it or not?”

Thor crossed his arms, staring stonily at him, and then slowly ground out, “No.”

Skurge nodded. “Then that’s what’s up her arse. I had a feeling it was either a bad lay or you said no.”

“Remind me again why this is any of your concern?”

Skurge drained the glass and dropped it on the wet bar. “Look, I don’t much care for you, but I don’t mind following orders because you’re sharp and you’re smart and you care about her. I don’t need to be the one in charge. Plenty happy just keeping things under control for her majesty.”

He stepped closer and narrowed his eyes at Thor. “But you had to go and upset the apple cart. I take issue with that. She hired me to protect her. That’s what I do. So I’m tellin’ you right now, pretty boy. If you hurt her again, I will put you in the ground right next to the sick fuck who’s been threatening her. She may be tough as nails, but she ain’t invincible. I’ve been around long enough to know when someone’s gotten under her skin, and you’d better not be playing with her heart just to get your jollies off.”

Thor stared at him and then slowly nodded. “I understand, Skurge.”

He turned as his room phone rang, and strode over to answer it. “Odinson.”

“Sir, this is the front desk. I’m afraid that we received a bomb threat and we will have to evacuate the hotel.”

“Bloody hell,” Thor swore. “He’s trying to draw us out. How long do we have?”

“They’re about to set off the fire alarms, and that’s why they told me to call you first. Even if the threat is fake, we have to call the police and evacuate all personnel.”

“And he’s counting on that. Thank you. We’ll be down shortly, but we’ll need your help. Can you arrange one of your airport shuttles for us?”

“As fast as I can, sir.”

“Thanks. We’ll meet you out front.” Thor hung up. A few seconds after he did, the fire alarms for the hotel blared to life.

“Oh, good,” Skurge groaned. “What’s all this then?”

“The stalker called in a bomb threat to force an evacuation,” Thor said as he slipped on his suit jacket. “Get Miss Valkyrie and the rest of the team together. Escort her down to the airport shuttle, _not_ the limousine. Stay in a group with her in the middle. I’m going down ahead to see if I can spot him. Head for the airport, don’t make any stops, and call me once you get there. I’ll make sure Veronica has tickets purchased and ready by the time you arrive.”

“Good luck.” Both men exited the hotel room and waded through the confused hotel patrons and staff members as the emergency announcements instructed everyone to leave the building.

Thor took the stairs down to the ground floor and did a thorough perimeter check before finding a hidden spot to watch the edge of the parking lot where the people had gathered. Roughly five minutes later, he spotted Brunhilde—who had donned somewhat of a disguise to help keep the attention off of her—and the rest of the guards, who were in plain clothes and trying to look as if they were simply hotel patrons as well. The limousine they had previously been using had already pulled up to the curb, and Thor headed over to tell the driver about their change of plans.

He was halfway there when the limousine exploded.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brunhilde and Thor deal with the aftermath of the bombing.

Thor’s ears were ringing.

The high-pitched whine made him want to go right back to sleep.

Wait. Why was he asleep at all? Hadn’t he been about to do something?

Gradually, he did hear something other than the irritating ringing noise: words. Muddled words. Then he felt something warm against his cheek, so he decided to give opening his eyes a shot. A beautiful woman sat beside him, and as his vision cleared, he recognized her.

“Miss Valkyrie?” he asked weakly.

“Yes, yes, it’s me, you dolt,” Brunhilde said, tears in her brown eyes, stroking his cheek. The rest of his vision allowed him to see he was in the back of an ambulance on a stretcher. He groaned as he felt parts of his body complain with scrapes and bruises. He must have gotten blown across the parking lot. His head throbbed with pain as well. Offhand, he knew he hadn’t broken anything nor had he been hit with shrapnel from the explosion, but he certainly didn’t feel too good.

But at least he was alive.

Thor winced. _Unlike the driver,_ he thought morosely.

“He’s awake,” Brunhilde told a passing EMT outside of the ambulance, and a young woman climbed in.

“Sir, can you look straight ahead for me?” She shone a pen light in his eyes. He grimaced, but didn’t move as she examined him.

“He might have a mild concussion, but if he’s talking, then that’s a good sign,” she told Brunhilde. “We’re almost done here and then we’ll head to the hospital to get him checked out.”

“Where are the others?” Thor rasped.

“They’re gonna follow us in the rental car,” Brunhilde told him. “Now lie back and get some rest.”

“Can’t,” he grumbled, attempting to sit up. “Someone just made an attempt on your life. I need to find out what the police know.”

Brunhilde shoved him down with the strength of a person about three times her size. “Someone just made an attempt on _your_ life, Odinson. Skurge will talk to the cops. You need to stay put until we know how badly you’re hurt.”

“I’m fine,” Thor mumbled. “Just need to…rest my eyes for a moment…”

Brunhilde snorted and brushed his hair away from his forehead. “Stubborn fool.”

He was just awake enough to feel her strong, but trembling fingers grasp his hand as he drifted off to sleep again.

-

Just as he’d thought, they took X-rays and found no broken bones. He did have a mild concussion, but after a few hours, the stupid ringing noise ceased and Thor could finally think straight. Which meant he could get back on the case to find out about the car bomb.

The incendiary device had left some residue and they were still searching the area for the remains of the device itself, which could have been blown anywhere. The limo had been sitting in a spot for a few hours since he’d been on call for Valkyrie in case of an emergency, and it would have presented ample time for the stalker to plant the device without him seeing. The police were currently going through the hotel’s surveillance and questioning witnesses to see if anyone had confirmed seeing the stalker beforehand.

But for now, they were back to square one.

Skurge paced the tile floor of Thor’s exam room, biting his thumb. “So what the hell are we gonna do? If it ain’t safe in public, how the hell will she be anymore safe at home?”

“He has already demonstrated that he can get past her security systems,” Thor said as he pulled on a new white dress shirt. “What we need now is a wild card.”

“Such as?” Brunhilde asked.

“I can call in a favor. Get us a private jet, that way it’s not on public record where we’re going to fly.”

Brunhilde eyed him. “Which is where?”

“I have some property out on a lake in Norway. There’s a safe house, and no one can get to it easily. She will be safe there.”

He buttoned the shirt and tucked in the tail, giving her a long, solemn stare. “I am sorry, Miss Valkyrie, but you must cancel your final concert.”

She shut her eyes. “Goddamn you.”

“I know,” Thor said softly. “But we have no other choice.”

Brunhilde sighed and nodded to Veronica, who stepped out to make some phone calls. Skurge headed for the door as well. “I’ll get the team ready to drive you to the airport.”

He left as well. Stagnant silence filled the room. Thor checked the rounds in his gun and strapped on the holster.

“Thought you were gone,” Brunhilde said quietly.

Thor glanced at her. “My lady?”

“When the limo exploded,” she said. “I saw you go flying across the parking lot. Thought you were dead.”

She rubbed her arms. “And I ran over there and you weren’t breathing at first. I think maybe it just knocked the wind out of you. I started CPR and got you breathing again. The guys went nuts. Didn’t want me near in case the creep remote-detonated it. I wasn’t close enough to get hit by the blast, but I felt the heat.”

Brunhilde shuddered. “That poor driver.”

Thor took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “It may not grant you much comfort, but he didn’t die in pain. With the size of that explosion it would have been lights out immediately. He wouldn’t have even known what happened.”

“Is it my fault?” she whispered. “Is it my fault he’s dead?”

Thor placed his hands on her shoulders. “Look at me.”

She raised tear-stained eyes up to meet his gaze. “You did nothing. Nothing at all. The fault rests with that murdering bastard and nowhere else. Do you understand me, Miss Valkyrie?”

Slowly, she nodded. “I still hate your guts, by the way, but I’m glad you’re not dead.”

Thor smiled for the first time in hours. “I am unworthy of such affections, my lady.”

Brunhilde punched him in the ribs lightly. Then she rested her forehead against his sternum, feeling his heart beat for a few steady seconds, listening to its rhythm, strong as ever. Then she stood up straight and headed for the door.

“Let’s go, Odinson.”

* * *

Thor’s lake-slash-safe house did not at all look as Brunhilde had expected it to. She thought it would look as militarized as he did at times, with that quick stride and perfect posture and focused gaze, but instead it had the same warm, comfortable vibe as a regular lake house, only with less windows. It was single-story with hardwood floors, four bedrooms and four bathrooms, and part of it sat upon stilts that meant the den was literally over the water with a screen-in porch to enjoy the view.

They had driven up a long driveway and through a gate with security cameras, as well as a secondary compound where the security would be set up. Thor had instructed Skurge and the others to stay in the compound—which had proper barracks and living areas for them—while he and Brunhilde stayed in the lake house. Having too many men around might tip someone off to their presence. There were no houses nearby, rather the house was surrounded with woods in an alcove on its own, but the occasional jogger might spot them, so they decided to play it safe. At Brunhilde’s behest, Veronica stayed home and try to put out the fires caused by her canceling her last concert and the media frenzy related to the bombing.

“So where am I?” Brunhilde asked, her eyes scanning the living areas. Everything was spick and span. He’d probably asked a maid service to swing by beforehand. She wondered if he rented it out during the year for extra cash. It would be smart, as the place was large, modern, and comfortable.

“Through there is the master bedroom,” Thor told her, pointing to the hallway. “I’m next door if you need me.”

“Mm,” was all she said as she strode for the bedroom. Inside, she found the décor tasteful and mostly off-white to contrast the rich hardwood floors. The bed was large and soft, the room spacious, not a speck of dust or anything out of place. She had a flat-screen TV, microwave, and a mini-fridge just like a hotel, and the bathroom had a garden tub with Jacuzzi jets.

She set her stuff down and changed into comfortable clothes—yoga pants and a loose-fitting t-shirt—before returning to the kitchen. They’d arrived just around lunchtime, and she found Thor pulling out dishes, having already put away groceries. She took a seat at the island counter and went to work on reassuring her fans that she was alive and in one piece by posting a couple selfies on Instagram.

“So tell me how you can afford this place?” Brunhilde asked. “I know you worked for the Secret Service, but I don’t remember hearing the pay is quite this good.”

“My father left it to me and my brother.”

She couldn’t help but pry. “You have a brother? Older or younger?”

“Younger.”

“Do you guys get along?”

Thor snorted. “That’s a loaded question. Not really, but it doesn’t mean we hate each other. At least not on my end.”

She grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge. “Hard to imagine someone not liking you, Odinson.”

“Your sarcasm is duly noted, my lady.”

She resumed catching up on current events on her phone, as well as reviewing the information related to the stalking case, and Thor finished up making them both three-cheese grilled sandwiches that they ate with chips. They went their separate ways afterward until nightfall, when he made them spaghetti and meatballs—completely from scratch, to her absolute shock—and by then, Brunhilde’s conscience had begun to nag her for being cold to him after he rejected her advances. She knew she was being an unreasonable brat, but it wasn’t as if he hadn’t played a part in their current situation. She could hold a grudge better than anyone she knew.

But…she was also bored.

And a little lonely.

So she brushed her petty instincts aside and emerged from the master bedroom. Thor sat on the couch going over the files for the suspect, and she could tell he looked a bit haggard from stress and worry. His hair stuck up a bit in the front as if he’d been running a hand through it, the first two buttons of his dress shirt undone, no tie, no shoes. She headed for the wet bar and poured two whiskeys, and then plopped down beside him. Wordlessly, she held one out to him, but he shook his head.

“I don’t drink when I’m working,” he said.

Brunhilde rolled her eyes. “It’s ten o’clock at night. Why are you still working anyway?”

He almost smiled. “Well, you die if I don’t do my job, if you recall.”

“You are such a drama queen.” Thor rolled his eyes in return, but finally accepted the drink. Rather than taking a sip, he downed it. She hadn’t expected that, to be honest. Then again, with a body that large it would take a substantial amount of alcohol to get him drunk. Not that she wanted to. Probably.

“We’re sealed up in here nice and tight,” she continued. “At least for now, you don’t have to be Captain Paranoid. It won’t kill you to take a break.”

He eyed her. “Thought you were still mad at me.”

“I am,” she said after she drank her own and set the glass aside. “But I don’t really have anyone else to pester at the moment. You’re all I’ve got. I need entertainment.”

“I have Netflix,” he protested. “How is that not enough entertainment?”

Brunhilde stared at him. “Are you suggesting we Netflix and Chill, Thor?”

He blushed. “N-No, I simply meant why aren’t you watching a movie?”

“I’m too restless,” she whined, collapsing backward. Consequently, it put her legs in his lap, and she didn’t mind this new development. “I can’t focus on anything long enough to watch it.”

He let out a light chuckle and tickled the bottom of her feet. “Understandable. How about a dance?”

Brunhilde froze, and then rolled over enough to peer at him in total disbelief. “You don’t know how to dance.”

“I do.”

Brunhilde pursed her lips. “Bullshit.”

Thor gave her a mysterious smile as he stood up and walked over to the entertainment center, finding the stereo. She watched as he fiddled with it, and then the stereo speakers began to thrum with music. He walked over and held out his hand, lifting his eyebrows in challenge. Brunhilde bit her lower lip, weighing the decision, and then let him tug her to her feet.

“ _Baby boy, you stay on my mind_

_Fulfill my fantasy_

_I think about you all the time_

_I see you in my dreams_

_Baby boy, not a day goes by without my fantasy_

_I think about you all the time_

_I see you in my dreams…”_

Thor pulled her close. So close. No space between them at all. He settled one big hand on the small of her back and brought her hand up to his shoulder. She didn’t resist, suppressing a shudder as he trailed his fingers down her bare arm until the other hand rested near the first one. She fell in step with him easily, swaying with him to the music, her arms slipping around his neck. She met his intense stare with one of her own, impressed as he dipped and twisted with her perfectly on beat, his tall form hot against the front of her body, his pleasant whiskey-breath fanning her cheeks.

“ _Every time I close my eyes_

_It’s like everyone left but you and me_

_In our own little world_

_The music is the sun, the dance floor becomes the sea_

_Feels like true paradise to me…”_

She knew better. Hell, he knew better. They wanted to have their cake and eat it too, tempting fate, and yet neither one of them seemed to care. It felt good to be near someone, as infuriating as Thor could be, to tease and be teased back, to know he wanted her just as much as she wanted him even with the barriers between them. Too many people in Brunhilde’s life were afraid of her, would always take her at her word, didn’t want to dig deeper to see who she was beneath the Valkyrie persona. Not Thor.

They danced for a while, song after song, not wanting to separate as the evening melted away, until Thor's phone rang. He pulled away to answer it. "Odinson."

"Thor, it's Skurge. We got 'im."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, I saw MIBI. It totally wasn't a good movie, and yet I totally enjoyed the hell out of Hems and Tessa's interactions. If you've already seen it and you want to sip more of that good-ass Hems and Tessa juice, check out my new fic Chemicals React.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor and Brunhilde have her stalker in custody, but can they get any answers out of him? Is it truly over?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt incredibly guilty for not writing all week long, and lo and behold, this was the perfect way to get me back in the saddle. I know there's only like five people reading this fic, but I apologize for the long wait for a new chapter. Hopefully, the rest of my updates will be faster. Thanks for being patient, and I hope this makes up for it.
> 
> Oh, and rating change. *cackles*

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

“There is nothing I am more sure about,” Brunhilde replied, cracking her knuckles as Thor opened the door to the security compound for her.

“I know you’re angry, but you can’t assault him,” Thor said. “It can blow the case if he tries to file an assault charge against you.”

“Like they’d be able to prove it was me.” Thor caught her arm and made her face him.

“Miss Valkyrie, you can’t interfere. It would jeopardize your safety if he got released on some nonsense. Give me your word that you will not attack this man.”

She narrowed her eyes and batted his hand away. “So now you don’t trust me?”

“This man tried to kill you,” he said evenly. “I have seen what you do to people who have merely displeased you. Forgive me if I need assurances about the attempted murderer.”

Brunhilde clenched her jaw, but forced the words out. “I give you my word I won’t tear his head off like he fucking deserves.”

“Thank you.” Thor paused with his fist raised at the other door. “And for the record, I have no concern whatsoever for this man. Were it up to me, I’d have him drawn and quartered.”

With that, he knocked. After a moment, the door to the back room opened. Skurge had a grim look on his face as he nodded for them to come in. The room behind the door was a sort of breakroom with a couple round tables, a cupboard, fridge, sink, and microwave. The other guards all stood in a semi-circle around one of the chairs in the center of the room.

Where her would-be killer sat.

He was thinner than he looked in the surveillance footage, almost gaunt, unshaven, and yet his black sweater and slacks were spotless. Muddy brown eyes stared at the floor until Brunhilde walked in. Then something truly hateful leaked into his eyes. He was handcuffed to the chair, which was metal rather than wooden, and his ankles were tied tightly with duct tape.

“So,” Brunhilde said, crossing her arms over her chest. “This is the vermin who’s been trying to kill me.”

She smirked. “Honestly, I expected you to be more formidable.”

The stalker’s eyes narrowed to slits, but he didn’t speak. She glanced at Skurge. “Has he said anything since you caught him?”

“Not a peep,” Skurge replied, and then gestured to the counter where there was a duffel bag. “We caught him trying to wire the joint with explosives.”

Thor strode over and began inspecting the items. “These aren’t a mix of homemade chemicals like with most serial killers. These are military grade explosives.”

Brunhilde tried not to think about the explosion that had killed her driver. “Where did you get those from?”

The stalker continued saying nothing. Skurge snorted. “Well, we ain’t called the cops yet, you know. We could always…”

He cracked his neck. “…persuade him to talk.”

Brunhilde smiled sharply. “Well, Thor said I couldn’t hit him. He didn’t say anything about you chaps.”

Skurge stepped forward, but then Thor spoke up. “Wait, wait a second.”

“Oh, don’t tell me you’re going noble on us, pretty boy,” Skurge spat.

“No,” Thor said, frowning as he finished inspecting the man’s belongings. “There is no cell phone here.”

“So? Stands to reason he wouldn’t bring it. If he did, then its GPS locator could prove his whereabouts if we caught him and took him to court.”

“I know, but there are ways of getting around it. And think about it. This man is characterized as an obsessive sociopath who taunts his victims, but he’s never made some kind of viral video to threaten his victims. Only written threats.”

“What’s your point?” Skurge demanded.

Thor held up a pad and pen that he’d found. “He’s mute.”

Skurge scoffed. “Bullshit.”

Thor strode over, gripped one of the stalker’s fingers, and bent it all the way back, as far as it could go.

The stalker rocked back and forth in the chair in pain, but didn’t scream. Thor pulled the sweater down further and could see a thick, faded scar over the man’s throat. Everyone took a sharp breath.

“He thought we wouldn’t put it together, so if you’d have started ‘persuading’ him, you’d beat him bloody and by the time the cops got here, you’d be arrested along with him,” Thor continued. “Brutality is not how we get our answers, gentlemen.”

He held his hand out to Skurge. “I need the key to the handcuffs.”

“Are you daft? You’re gonna let ‘im loose?”

“No. I’m going to get my answers. Secure the perimeter and make sure he doesn’t have a partner.”

Skurge glanced at Brunhilde in confirmation. She nodded. Growling, he gave Thor the key and dismissed the other guards as well.

Thor leaned down to the stalker’s level. “I am going to uncuff you so that you can either sign or write out the answers to my questions. If you even think of offering violence towards my lady, I will put a bullet in your brain. Nod that you understand me.”

Slowly, the man nodded. Thor uncuffed him and tossed the pen and pad down in the man’s lap. Thor nodded towards Brunhilde. “Go ahead, Miss Valkyrie.”

She leaned against the opposite wall, her voice cold and devoid of emotion. “Why do you want to kill me?”

Slowly, the man picked up the pad and began to write. He showed it to her.

**You’re evil.**

Brunhilde snorted. “Oh, good. Let me guess. Religious fanatic, is it?”

The man sneered at her. **Yes.**

“Well, I’m glad you think God is the reason I should die, you sniveling coward,” she snarled. “I hope that comforts you from the cell you’re going to rot in for the rest of your miserable life. The man you murdered with that car bomb? His name was Carl Freidberg. He had a wife and three kids. And you will pay for his death, and your God isn’t going to do a single fucking thing about it.”

Thor gently laid a hand on her shoulder. She suddenly noticed how hard she was breathing, and forced herself to calm down.

“How did you get access to those explosives?” she asked.

**Friends in high places.**

“What friends?”

**Old friends.**

The man smiled cryptically. She clutched her arms to keep from smashing his smug face in with her fists. “I want a name.”

**And people in Hell want ice water.**

“Give me a goddamn name or I’ll have Thor shoot you in the kneecaps.”

**It’s too late.**

Brunhilde shared a look with Thor. “Too late for what?”

**You can’t stop it now. You will be dead soon, witch.**

Thor grabbed a handful of the man’s sweater and yanked him halfway out of the chair. “You are going to tell us what you’ve done or you will die tonight. Do you understand me, you worm?”

The stalker’s unsettling smile remained firmly in place. He wrote one last note.

**Tick-tock.**

Someone pounded on the door. He gritted his teeth and shoved the man back down as he barked, “What?”

“Fuckin’ hell,” Skurge spat. “The cops are here.”

“What?” Brunhilde and Thor demanded in unison.

“I didn’t call them. My men didn’t either. So how the fuck are they here?”

Brunhilde and Thor met eyes, and then glared at the stalker. He just kept smiling.

“He did it,” Brunhilde growled. “He knew we’d get him to break if we had enough time, but not with the cops breathing down our necks.”

Thor cursed and slammed his fist against the cupboard. “Goddamn it. Fine. Let them in, but tell them I’m not surrendering him until I speak with whomever is in charge.”

The cops called in to their superior and he rattled off the names of the officers and their badge numbers. He also confirmed the anonymous tip they had received about half an hour prior to the security team discovering the stalker. They also sent a bomb squad out onto the property to see if there was anything the stalker had been able to successfully plant, but they didn’t find anything.

He was taken into custody after they filed the report and would be interrogated long into the night. Skurge volunteered to tag along on behalf of Brunhilde and Thor and Brunhilde returned to the lake house in a stony silence.

Thor poured them both a drink. “I should be departing by six o’clock, so don’t forget to lock up after me.”

Brunhilde frowned. “Departing where?”

Thor set the tumbler down on the counter. “My contract clearly states that once we have apprehended the criminal responsible for the threats on your life, I am no longer your bodyguard. And if I recall correctly, you said the second we catch him, you never want to see me again.”

He gave her a grim smile. “And so I must take my leave, at my lady’s behest.”

Thor stalked towards his bedroom, but her words stopped him. “You think it’s that easy, don’t you?”

He exhaled through his nose and gave her his side profile. “What is?”

“Me,” Brunhilde said after knocking back her scotch. “This whole situation. You think you can just walk into my life, trash it, and then bail? Who the fuck do you think you are, Odinson?””

“No one you wish to associate with any longer,” he answered with plenty of heat. “You have made that perfectly clear, my lady.”

“My lady.” She shoved him. “Call me that again and I’ll snap your neck with my thighs, you sorry creep.”

“You can’t even reach my neck,” he shot back. “Shall I get a ladder for you?”

She swung at him. He ducked and grabbed her wrist as it flew past, and then used his weight to sling her up against the cupboard. The dishes clattered inside it and she gasped in surprise rather than in pain. Thor pinned her arms and leaned down to her height, his voice a growl that buzzed down the front of her body.

“I am not afraid of you, Valkyrie, unlike everyone else around here,” he whispered. “You wanted me gone, and so I am leaving, and there is nothing you can do about it—”

She kissed him. Hard. Biting his lower lip nearly enough to bruise it.

And he didn’t pull away.

“Stop it,” he breathed, those blue eyes alight with lust and anger and frustration and intrigue.

“Stop what?” Brunhilde said. “This?”

She kissed him again. “Yes, that.”

Brunhilde’s lips pulled up in a challenging smile. “Make me.”

She kissed him a third time, her voice husky with need. “Come on, big boy. I know you’re tired of fighting it. Make me. I dare you. I fucking dare you, Odinson."

By the time his last name left her lips, Thor's massive hands latched onto Brunhilde's hips and he lifted her as if she weighed nothing at all, and then slammed her bodily against the wall of the hallway. He shoved her t-shirt up enough to find her yoga pants beneath them and yanked them down her legs, finding her bare beneath them. He attacked the side of her neck with harsh, wet bites as he buried one hand between her supple thighs, his calloused fingertips stroking her aching pussy, his baritone voice rough in her ear.

"You are the most stubborn, infuriating, taxing, difficult woman I have ever bloody met," Thor snarled, using his tall frame to pin her much smaller form to the wall. "And I am going to enjoy making you scream my name as you come all over yourself."

He latched his other hand to her throat, holding her in place but not squeezing, and then shoved two fingers inside her. Brunhilde's head smacked the wall and her eyes rolled back in her head as a frisson of molten pleasure shot up from between her legs and burned through her veins. She hadn't felt it in ages, this heady stimulation, not even with her vibrator. She had pretended not to notice Thor's thick, strong fingers, and now every fantasy she'd previously had about them had come true.

Thor didn't hesitate. He slid those long fingers deep into the scorching wet clutch of her pussy and curled them, dragging against her spot, exhaling in satisfaction as it extracted the first yelp of pleasure from her lips. He stared down at her flushed face and pulled them from her completely, and lifted them to his lips. She watched as he sucked each finger clean, rewetting them in his mouth, and then returned them to her again. She grasped fistfuls of his dress shirt, panting in shallow gasps of air as he fucked his fingers into her, moving sure and strong and fast, the pleasure expanding through her body so completely that she felt her bare legs shaking.

"You want to come?" he whispered from inches away, his breath tickling her lips. She so badly wanted him to kiss her, and yet he wouldn't, and the frustration only made her wetter. "Do you want to come, Valkyrie?"

"Fuck you," she fired back, but the hoarse moan in it lessened the power of the insult.

Thor just smirked. "We'll get to that soon enough. Answer the question."

She hated the rush of wetness that coated his fingers after that statement. She could pretend all she wanted that she was implacable, but he had her on the ropes. Her body screamed at her to finish it. She needed this climax more than she needed air. He'd been driving her crazy since she set eyes on him.

"Yes." She cursed herself internally as the word slipped out.

"Good girl," Thor cooed. "Say my name and I'll let you come."

  
"Bastard," she growled out.

Thor let out a low chuckle that made her inner walls tighten over his thrusting fingers. "Close, but not quite, sweet Valkyrie. Say it."

She cried out as he ran the pad of his thumb over her clit, swiping gently at it in between the strokes of his fingers, just barely stimulating it without allowing her to pitch over the edge. She wanted badly to claim the orgasm herself, and yet her arms wouldn't move and her fingers wouldn't uncurl themselves from his shirt. She wanted him to do it. She knew deep down it had to be Thor.

And he wasn't wrong. She'd put him through hell since day one. If she wanted her reward, maybe for once, she had to let him have his as well.

She licked her lips, proud as his gaze followed her quick, pink tongue over them, and then she stared into his eyes as her husky voice wrapped around his name. "Thor."

The big blond shuddered and rubbed his thumb over her pulse, a look of masculine satisfaction clouding his handsome features, and it only turned her on more as she saw it. "Good girl."

Thor's fingers slid deeper, all the way to the knuckle, and then he curled them inside her, raking them against her spot. His thumb mashed down against her clit, and Valkyrie flew over the edge into oblivion. She clawed at his chest as her body convulsed, her pussy clenching hard over his relentless thrusting in and out, her legs trembling from the strain of holding herself up as she came. He circled her clit as his fingers slowed, bringing her down from her high gradually, almost petting her into her afterglow. She collapsed against the wall and tried to catch her breath, the adrenaline and scotch making her feel lightheaded, her body thrumming with bliss from head to toe. She'd had full contact sex that hadn't felt as good as what he'd just done to her.

"Would you look at that," he teased in her ear. "The mighty Valkyrie tamed by just my fingers in her little cunt. Mewling like a kitten for me. Completely submissive and under my control. Is that what you like, my lady? To be dominated? To be told what to do? Has a man never been brave enough to find out the truth about you in your bed?"

"Shut up," she groused, even as a blush overtook her cheeks, still too high from her orgasm to put much vitriol into it.

Thor chuckled. "Oh, I am done taking orders from you, Lady Valkyrie. Instead, it's your turn to follow some."

She shivered as he withdrew his fingers, licking them clean again, and then raked her shirt off of her. He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around him automatically, her arms encircling his neck as he settled her against the wall but this time level with him. She kissed him ravenously, shaking with anticipation as she heard his belt jingle as he undid it and unzipped his slacks. He pressed his upper body into hers hard, swallowing her gasp, and shoved his pants down past his thighs. He slid his hands up her legs and gripped her round ass, squeezing another moan out of her, and then lined their bodies up. Brunhilde bit his lower lip, locking eyes with him fearlessly, and the words spilled out of her before she could help it.

"Fuck me, Thor," she commanded. "Fuck me like you own me. Fuck me silly, you stupid bastard."

Thor's lips parted in a dazzling, nefarious smile. "As my lady wishes."

He slid inside her at last.

And the world exploded around her.

Brunhilde was no stranger to sex. She'd had men and women both in her bed, screaming out for her, plenty of enjoyment to be had, but some more than others.

Thor stood in a category on his own.

His cock did more than just fill her; it melded with her completely, until she couldn't tell where she stopped and he began. Thor ran hot naturally, and the silken skin of his cock felt heavenly sliding into her slippery sheath, pushing and pushing until not another inch of him could fit. Her toes curled. She'd never felt more fulfilled than this moment, not with anyone.

Thor's chest vibrated with an animalistic growl of desire that tickled her upper body. "There is not a more perfect cunt in the world than yours, my lady."

His lips claimed hers again, his tongue sweeping against her own, as he circled his hips and then drew himself out of her, hurrying back. She groaned hungrily into his mouth as he held her in place and pumped those powerful hips, fucking her thoroughly, swiftly, smoothly. With anyone else, she never wanted to show her hand, to let them know how much she was enjoying herself--a defense mechanism she'd developed from only wanting to be seen as fearless and implacable--and yet with every succulent thrust, Thor's sex completely unraveled her. She couldn't stop moaning. She couldn't stop kissing him. She couldn't stop arching her back and shoving her hips down on him, forcing his cock as deep as it could reach inside her. She loved it. She loved how unafraid he made her feel. She loved that she could hide nothing from him.

And most of all, she loved that he'd stayed.

"You feel so good, my lady," Thor whispered feverishly. "So good. I need you to come for me. I need you to come on my cock. Right here. Right now."

"Fuck," Brunhilde groaned, squeezing him to her tighter. "Not yet. Mm, not yet, God, it feels so good, so fucking good, don't stop."

"Stubborn lass," he hissed. "I know you want it. I can feel it. You're such a naughty girl, squeezing me like this. You want to come. You want me to come inside you, don't you?"

Brunhilde whimpered as he swiveled his hips without withdrawing, his cock a beacon of volcanic heat inside her, stimulating every nerve, making her inner walls flutter over him in warning of the impending orgasm. She shook her head frantically. "No, no, not yet, mm, not yet, ah, fuck, don't make me come yet."

"I want you to come," he murmured, those summer sky eyes boring holes into her soul. "I want you to come for me... _Brunhilde._ "

And with that, she flew apart.

"Thor! Fuck!" Brunhilde's head rolled back as the utterance of her name on his lips forced her right into her loudest, wettest, strongest orgasm she'd ever felt. She writhed against the solid, unflinching wall of muscle that made up his chest and abs, her legs latching around him, her nails scraping over his shoulder blades, her golden-brown body undulating again and again as she soared through her climax at lightspeed. She shuddered as she felt him still hard and buried at her center, and madness claimed her as she realized he hadn't yet joined her in the ultimate pleasure.

"Come," she panted out, kissing his lips, sliding her fingers into his honey-colored hair. "Fucking come for me, Thor."

He groaned as he felt her hips circling over his pelvis. She focused all her energy into clenching her soaked cunt over the whole of him, moaning louder as she felt his cock throbbing deep inside her as he reached the edge as well.

"Don't hold back," she pleaded. "God, don't hold back on me. Come. Come for me, Thor. Come inside me. I want it, fucking hell, I want it so bad, fucking do it."

Thor groaned weakly, his hands filled with her plump ass as she ground down on his cock relentlessly, wringing his release out of him. "For you, my lady. Just for you."

His huge frame shuddered along the front of her body and she cried out again in delight as he emptied himself inside her in a series of hard, erratic thrusts, sending her spiraling off into another orgasm. She swallowed his moan of her name and it was the sweetest thing she'd ever tasted. He pitched forward in a momentary daze and propped his forearms up against the wall to keep from slipping down onto the floor or dropping her. She clung to him as they both floated down from the heavens, overheated and stunned and yet deeply satisfied.

For now.


End file.
